Although my son did not gain admission to the Naval Academy, he did have the privilege of attending summer seminar, which is a week long stay at the Naval Academy. I believe the program is selective. My question is, should he note this anywhere on his resume going forward, under activities. He does not think he should, but I disagree. It is a unique program and reflects the kind of person he is.
My son attended last summer, but decided that it wasn’t really the right path for him. I don’t know if my answer holds any weight, but he has included it in applications where they ask about workshops or programs attended, but has not included it as an accomplishment or on his resume.
Both NASS (USNA) and SLE (USMA) are summer camps and should be treated as such on applications.
(They are selective primarily because there aren’t enough slots for every applicant but also because the academies use them as marketing outreach tools targeted to strong candidates who may not consider an academy or who are on the fence about them. They are also used to increase the pool of candidates for selection from under-represented groups.)
I say go ahead and include it…it is something “Productive” that he did that summer and is an activity like any other. But don’t think it is a big hook or anything.
You should definitely note the Summer Seminar that he did. I have a nephew who is a Chemical engineer who chose a different path than Navy, but to this day (even a few years out of college), it is the MOST OFTEN commented on item in his resume. Naval Academy holds some impressive weight and is a great conversation starter.